# pending

/ˈpɛndɪŋ/ (US) · /pˈɛndɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pending
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. awaiting a decision

adjective · CEFR B2 · Formal

waiting for a final decision or result.

For teachers: awaiting a conclusion, confirmation, or settlement; often used in legal or administrative contexts.

- The bank transfer is still pending, so the money hasn't arrived yet.
- The merger remains pending while the regulatory body investigates potential antitrust violations in the telecommunications sector.

Usage: Usually follows the noun it describes or sits after a linking verb like 'be'.

### 2. about to happen

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary · Formal

likely to happen very soon.

For teachers: imminent or impending; about to occur.

- The dark clouds were a sign of a pending storm.
- The atmosphere in the capital was tense with the sense of pending change as the election results began to trickle in.

Teaching tip: In modern English, 'impending' is more common for this sense, especially for negative events like storms or disasters.

### 3. until something happens

preposition · CEFR B2 · Formal

while waiting for something to happen.

For teachers: until the occurrence of a specific event; during the intervening period before something happens.

- He was released from prison pending his trial next month.
- The judge granted a stay of execution pending the outcome of the defendant's final appeal to the High Court.

Usage: Always followed by a noun phrase.

## Examples

- The status of your application is still pending.
- The sale of the house is pending until the bank approves the buyer's loan.
- With several lawsuits still pending against the corporation, the board of directors decided to delay the merger until the legal risks were clearer.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.